


RSVP

by Katieb161



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Inspired by a Movie, Romance, Weddings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-14
Updated: 2018-10-25
Packaged: 2019-08-01 19:31:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 16,536
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16290416
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Katieb161/pseuds/Katieb161
Summary: This is the Wedding Planner AU that nobody asked for.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey Guys. I had an idea for a Wedding Planner fic, so here it is! This is based on the movie the Wedding Planner with J Lo. Hope you enjoy!

Iris West always loved weddings. There was just something about romance being in the air. She loved the attention to detail, the flowers, the beautiful white dresses. When she was 22, she decided that she wanted to be a wedding planner. She was always good with organization and thought it was the perfect way to combine her skill and her love of the big day.

She had been in the business for a few years now. She was hoping to eventually make partner at the event planning company she worked for. For now however, she would have to settle for being the best coordinator at 'RSVP'. She was sitting in her office, working on a proposal when her boss Linda walked into the office.

"Iris, I just wanted to say good job on the Williamson wedding."

Iris looked up from her work and smiled at Linda, "Thanks, it was a tough one, especially dealing with the bride's mother." Iris had to deal with the mother from hell. She was intent on making every decision, even when her daughter didn't agree or it didn't make sense. The straw that broke he camels back was when she attempted to cancel the reservation for the reception location. It took every ounce of persuasion to get the mother to back down, and luckily for Iris, she was able to. The wedding finally was able to go off without a hitch.

"Anyways, we have a special client coming aboard and I want you to take the lead. She will be here shortly to meet with you." The special client was none other than Rebecca Cooper. Her father was the new mayor of Central City. Linda wasn't kidding when she said she had a special client. Landing this wedding was going to be big. Not just for 'RSVP' but for Iris as well. This could be the event she needed to get her the partner position she so desperately wanted.

Iris prepared a quick presentation and awaited the arrival of Ms. Cooper. It was about an hour later when she finally showed up. Iris couldn't lie. She thought Rebecca was a beautiful woman. She had bleached blond hair and sparkling blue eyes. She not only came from a family of prestige, she also came from a family of money. Iris knew that Mayor Cooper would spare no expense when it came to the ceremony.

Iris greeted Ms. Cooper in the lobby of the office. "Ms. Cooper, I am so please to meet you, I am Iris West."

"Please, call me Becky."

"Becky, I am so happy that you have decided to work with 'RSVP' in planning your upcoming wedding."

"Well, you guys are great, you did my best friends wedding and it was perfect. I need you to do the same for me, but make it grander."

"Grand we can do. Please, come into my office and let's get started." Iris led Becky into the office where they began to go over the important details and contract. Since money was no issue, Becky had wanted the most expensive and best when it came to the ceremony and reception. They discussed ideas for venues and what the theme of the wedding would be.

"Becky, will your fiancee be involved in any of the planning?"

"Oh, yes of course, he will be around. Barry had to work today, but he will definitely be involved."

"Excellent, I can't wait to meet him." Iris continued on with the wedding details. Once she had gotten all the information she needed to get started, and Becky signed the contract, she was on her way. Iris was excited, this was going to be the biggest wedding she had ever planned.

After a long day, Iris was ready to get home and relax with bath and nice glass of wine. That was how she spent most of her evenings, alone. Well, not completely alone. She lived with her father and brother. Sure, she could afford to live alone, but she didn't want to. She liked being around her family. Linda always joked that was probably why she couldn't find a man, but it didn't bother Iris.

There was a guy that she had some history with. If her father had it his way, they would have been married. Eddie Thawne was her father's partner. They were both detectives at the CCPD. Iris and Eddie had actually dated for a while, but she felt like she wasn't really in the right place in her life for a serious relationship. Eddie was all in and in love with her, but she thought they would be better as friends.

Iris had packed up her belongings and closed up the office. She looked at her watch and was surprised that it was already 8pm. She didn't mean to stay in the office so late. As she was walking down the street, heading towards the subway, it started to rain. She cursed herself for leaving her umbrella in the office. She started running towards the subway hoping to get to the stairs before she got too wet.

She had her head down while she was running and didn't see the person in front of her before it was too late. She tried to stop herself from running right into the tall body, but she twisted her ankle causing her to fall right into it. She was almost about to hit the ground when she felt a pair of arms grab her and keep her from hitting the ground. When she finally gained her composure, she looked up with gratitude at whoever just saved her white Ralph Lauren pants suit.

Iris was a bit taken back at the person who was standing before her. He was smiling at her with a Colgate smile. The embarrassment hit her immediately. She tried to look away from his shining green eyes and perfectly messy bedhead, but she couldn't. She tried to speak, but her voice must have run away in embarrassment as well. They stood there for a moment, looking into each others eyes when he finally spoke.

"Miss, are you okay?"

"Yeah...yeah, I'm fine," she was able to squeak out. It was then that she noticed she was still holding on to him. She abruptly removed her hands from him and stepped back, strangely missing his warmth."Thank you, I am so sorry, I wasn't paying attention to where I was going."

He snickered at her, "It's okay, but you should be more careful, especially in shoes that high."

Iris looked down at her Louboutins and realized that the heel had broken on one of them. "Shit," she said out loud and reached down to take off the offending shoe. "Felicity is going to kill me."

The man laughed again, it was then Iris realized that she had said that out loud. "I'm sure she will understand," he offered her.

Iris looked up at him. She didn't mean to, but she started gazing into his eyes again. It was like she couldn't help it, they were beautiful. He seemed to be gazing right back into hers. Iris pulled her eyes away from him when she realized that she probably looked at hot mess after being caught in the rain. Her embarrassment started to creep back up again.

"Well, I should get going. Thank you again," she told him and headed down the stairs towards the subway. When she reached the bottom, she looked back up towards the top and saw him still standing there, looking at her. She timidly smiled and gave a quick wave before she turned the corner and headed towards her train.

When Iris got home, she was greeted by her father at the door. "Hey dad," she said as she put down her bag and took off the broken shoes she was wearing.

"Hey baby girl," he gave her a kiss on the head, "looks like you had a rough day."

Iris scoffed, "It could have been worse. What has you in such a good mood?" she asked him.

"We have a guest for dinner." As soon as he said that, Eddie came around the corner. Now she understood the good mood. Her dad was still holding out hope that the two of them would get together. Joe West looked at his daughter and his partner and smiled brightly. "I'm just going to go to the kitchen," he told them as he left to give them some privacy.

"Eddie, your looking well."

"Yeah, you too. How have you been?"

"Busy, you know we are in wedding season, so I have had a lot on my plate."

Eddie looked Iris up and down and licked his lips," You look like you could use a break. Why don't you let me take you out this weekend?"

"Eddie-"

"Just think about it, okay?"

"Yeah," she answered, if for nothing else, to get off of the subject of dating. "I need to get changed, I got caught in the rain." She nodded to Eddie and headed upstairs to take a shower and put on some dry clothes.

While in the shower, she started to think about the man who she ran into earlier. She was mad at herself for being so awkward in front of the handsome stranger. She was just glad she would never see him again, she didn't think she would be able to even look him in the eyes. Even though she thought they were beautiful and knew she would get lost in them again if she had the chance.

Once she was cleaned up and had on some fresh clothes, she made her way back downstairs for dinner. She had hoped to eat quickly and get back to her room so that she didn't have to deal with her father's insistence on her and Eddie getting together. Luckily for her, Eddie was gone when she got back downstairs. There was an issue at the station that he needed to attend to. Relieved, Iris made a plate and sat down at the table with her father.

"You know Eddie isn't a bad guy."

Iris rolled her eyes at her father, "Dad-"

"I'm just saying. I just want to see you happy and in love. I think Eddie could be the guy that can give you that."

"I appreciate the concern dad, I really do, but I am happy."

"You say that, but I don't know how you can spend your days helping people in love and not want the same thing."

Iris never said she didn't want love. She just didn't think she wanted it with Eddie. He really was a good guy, but she just didn't have those feeling for him. She just wished her dad understood. She finished eating in silence and made her way back to her bedroom, where she turned in for the night.

A few days later, she was sitting at Jitters, enjoying a nice hot latte, when she felt someone's hand on her shoulder. She turned around to see the guy from the subway station. She choked a little bit on her coffee when she realized who it was.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you, are you okay?"

All she could do was nod her head. After a moment, she collected herself, "Yeah, I'm good. Fancy seeing you here." She really was surprised to see him. She thought that she would never see him again and resolved to stop thinking about him.

"Yeah, well, everyone knows that Jitters makes the best coffee in the city."

"That's true, I have one everyday. Did you know they just started serving cronuts?" she whispered to him.

He laughed again. Iris was starting to really like his laugh. "I saw you sitting here and thought I would come by and see how your ankle was doing, you twisted it pretty bad the other day."

Iris thought it was really thoughtful of him to come over and check on her. Her cheeks got a little warm at the sentiment. "Uh, good...yeah, I mean, I'm okay. Not sure if I am quite over the embarrassment yet though."

"You don't have anything to be embarrassed about. I'm glad to know that you are okay." The smiled at each other for a moment until his cell phone went off. He looked down at the text and back up at Iris, slightly disappointed. "Work calls, it was nice to see you again. Maybe I will see you around at Jitters again."

"Yeah," Iris gave him another smile and he walked out of Jitters and towards his job. When he rounded the corner, Iris kicked herself for not getting his name. She hoped that she would see him around again too.

 

Later that day, she had a meeting with Becky and her fiancee. She had picked out some venues for them and needed them to narrow the list down so Iris could set up some viewings. Becky arrived first and was sitting in the office going over the information when her fiancee finally showed up. Iris had her back to the door when he walked in. She was digging in a file cabinet when she heard a familiar voice. She turned around to see subway guy kissing her client.

"Iris, this is my fiancee, Barry Allen. Barr, this is our wedding planner." Becky had no way of knowing that Iris and Barry had already met each other, a couple of times now.

They both looked at each other with slightly guilty eyes. Becky of course didn't pick up on it. After an awkward silence from the both of them, Iris finally held out her hand. "Barry, it's so nice to finally meet you." When he took her hand, there was a slight jolt of electricity. Iris pulled back quickly and moved a piece of hair behind her ear, trying to find something else to do with her hands.

She looked back up at Barry who looked equally uncomfortable. He finally responded to her, "It's nice to meet you too." He sat down next to Becky who took his hand and interlocked their fingers. Iris looked down at them holding hands and sighed internally. This was going to be her most difficult client yet.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy!
> 
> Thanks to my wonderful Beta bwhams.

Iris couldn't believe her luck. She meets a guy who she feels a weird connection to, and he ends up being the fiancee of the client that could make her partner. She felt as if God was playing some awful trick on her. To top it off, the meeting was not going as planned. Iris couldn't make eye contact with either of them as she was going over the venue details. She was flubbing all of her words and had a nervous tick. Becky was oblivious but Barry had picked up on it.

Becky had to take a work call and excused herself from the office. Iris and Barry were left alone and she was feeling uneasy being alone with him now. Just a few hours ago she was hoping she would run into him again, how quickly things can change.

"Look, Iris, I had no idea," he started to apologize.

"It's okay Barry, you couldn't have known. But now that you do, there is no reason why we can't keep this professional."

"Right...professional." He bore into her with a look that said anything but professional. Her cheeks got warm again and she looked away just as Becky was coming back into the room.

They continued going over the information. They settled on three locations that they wanted to get a better look at. Iris agreed with their selections and let them know she would set up the viewings.

They all stood up to say their goodbyes. This time Barry reached out his hand for Iris. She slowly took it as he again said to her, "It was great meeting you. I have faith that you will make this a beautiful day for us." There was no reason for him to touch her again, but Iris felt like the look in his eyes said that he needed to.

Iris met up with her friend Felicity later that evening. She couldn't wait to tell her who the mystery subway station man was. Felicity was upset that Iris had broken the heel on the shoes she had let her borrow, but all was forgiven when she learned of the handsome stranger that her friend was attracted to.

Iris walked in the club and plopped down next to Felicity at the bar. Felicity turned to Iris and greeted her with a hug. "I need a stiff drink," Iris said as she waved her hand to get the attention of the bartender.

"Bad day?" Felicity asked.

"Like you wouldn't believe. So guess who I ran into today at Jitters."

Felicity thought for a moment, "Not mystery guy?" Iris nodded in confirmation.

"Was he just as dreamy as before?" Felicity was real interested now.

"Dreamier," Iris sighed and laid her head on her arms which were resting on the bar.

"So...? What happened?"

Iris sat up, "What happened is he is Barry Allen, fiancee to the one and only Becky Cooper."

Felicity burst out in laughter. She could barely contain herself. Iris started scowling, "What is so funny?"

"You can't make this up. Girl falls in love at first sight to dream man and finds out she will be planning his wedding to one of the wealthiest and well connected women in Central City. C'mon Iris, it's like right out of the movies or something."

"I never said I fell in love a first sight." Felicity started laughing again and Iris resumed her earlier position with her head on the bar.

Her friend rubbed her back, "Oh Iris, I'm sorry. He wasn't the one, but there are plenty of fish in the sea. I mean, look at all these guys in here right now."

Iris sat up and looked around the bar. She then motioned to the bartender for another drink. "I'm good," she finally said to Felicity, "I'll be alright. I just need to get past this little crush, if you can even call it that, and plan the best god damned wedding this city has ever seen. Then I will make partner and all will be right with the world. I'm Iris Freaking West, I got this!"

"There's the spirit, c'mon, let's hit the dance floor." Felicity dragged Iris out into the middle of the club where they danced the night away. Iris didn't think about Barry or Becky or weddings the rest of the evening.  
  
Iris was set to meet with Barry and Becky at a local winery that was in the valley. Iris loved this location and hoped that her clients would too. When they arrived, she met them at the entrance. "Welcome to Central City's most famous winery."

"This place is gorgeous Iris," Becky remarked.

"I thought you might like it. Let me take you on a tour." Iris led them into the old stone building. "This building has been here since 1907. Everything in here is original." She led them down a corridor to the tasting room. "I was thinking you could hold your cocktail hour here." It was a large space with wide windows that let in a lot of natural light."

The couple agreed. Becky walked around the room another time before they went to the next location. Iris led them out to the vineyard. It was massive with a large clearing next to a small pond and several gardens. "I think this would be the perfect location for the ceremony. You could do the reception out here as well, but I have another location I think you will love for that."

"What do you think Barr?" Becky turned to her fiancee and asked.

Barry had to take his attention off Iris to look down at Becky. She was so enamored with the scenery, she hadn't noticed he had been staring at Iris the whole time. Iris didn't seem to notice either as she was too concerned with making sure Becky was happy. He finally answered, "It's nice, whatever you want Beck, this is your day."

"Good answer," she leaned up and gave him a peck on the lips. Iris had to turn away. "So, where were you thinking for the reception?" Becky asked.

"Right, um, this way." Iris smiled and pointed towards another stone building. She walked them down into the cellar where the couple was surprised to see what looked like a cave. It was lit with hundreds if not thousands of little lights. "They call this the wine cave." It was a large area that had several long portals that met in the middle revealing a large area with a high ceiling.

"This is perfect!" Becky exclaimed, "I don't even need to see the other venues."

"Okay," Iris acknowledged, "I'll get started on booking this venue then."

They all started making their way back to the main building. Becky excused herself to use the restroom. For the first time that day, Iris and Barry were by themselves. Iris started to look at something in her phone, trying to find anything to distract her until Becky came back. She finally looked up to see Barry staring at her.

"I'm glad that Becky was happy with the venue."

"Me too. You did a really good job picking this place. You really are amazing," he told her.

The compliment cause Iris to develop the feeling of butterflies in her stomach. She tried to shake it off, reminding herself that he was her client, her engaged and soon to be married client. She was relieved when Becky came back and joined them.

"Okay, so I have some food and cake tastings set up later next week," Iris started going over their upcoming schedule.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you. I have to go out of country for work for the next few weeks," Becky told her.

"Okay, well, I can reschedule them for when you return."

"No, no, we don't have the luxury of pushing things back if we want to get married before the summer starts. I trust Barry, he knows what I like. I think the two of you can handle it, right Barr?"

Barry rubbed the back of his neck as he looked over at Iris before turning his attention back to his fiancee. "Yeah Beck, we can handle it, no problem."

"Good, so you two just continue with the planning. I will still be available via skype and will give my opinions on things and in a few weeks, I will be back and we can continue on as normal," Becky smiled at Iris and walked past her towards the exit. She and Barry looked at each other in silence before Iris headed towards the exit as well.   
  
Iris had just had lunch with her father. It had been a few days since her trip to the winery. She was glad to have a break from Barry. She knew she was going to have to get her feelings in check before they met again later that week. She was leaving CCPD where she left her dad and was checking emails on her phone, not paying attention to where she was going. She walked right into someone. When she looked up to apologize, she saw the one person she did not want to see.

"Barry?"

"Iris, we have to stop running into each other like this," he gave her a stifled laugh at his corniness.

"What are you doing here?" she asked confused.

"Working."

"Working?"

"Yeah, I am a forensic scientist at STAR Labs, we were contracted to be CCPD's new CSI department."

"Wow, I had no idea. My dad is actually a detective here."

"That's cool, I can't wait to meet him." Iris couldn't help but be charmed by his smile. "I'm actually on a break, what to grab a coffee?"

She knew it was a terrible idea, but it was impossible for her to decline. "Sure."

They got their coffee order at Jitters and found a table to sit at. At first, there was just an awkward silence. Finally Iris broke the ice, "So, how did you and Becky meet?"

Barry started rubbing the back of his neck, "We actually met in college, at a party." Iris nodded. Barry continued, "It's really not that interesting of a story."

"Well, I am sure you are excited about the wedding."

"I guess so." He looked up at Iris and into her eyes.

"I mean, you proposed, so you must want to get married."

Barry scoffed. He did want to get married, but on his terms. He and Becky had been dating for a few years. It felt like a natural step, however, it was Becky who pressured him into proposing. She didn't really give him and ultimatum, but she made it clear that she was ready for marriage. Her father made it clear to him as well.

It wasn't that he didn't love Becky, because he did. But he also had a little bit of cold feet about making it official. Meeting Iris didn't help. He was taken by her the first time he laid eyes on her. He thought about her the rest of the night when he first met her. He couldn't believe his good luck when he ran into her in Jitters. He also couldn't believe his bad luck when he found out she would be planning his wedding.

Barry had seemed to go somewhere else so Iris finally spoke, "Well, I need to get back to work, but I will see you soon." She pulled out her card and wrote an address on the back. "Meet me here on Thursday at 2pm."

He took the card from her, his hand lightly brushing against hers. It caused all the hairs on Iris' arm to stand up. She quickly moved her hand and stood up. "I'll see you later Barry."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I should have an update for this story next week, but maybe sooner depending on my schedule and how tired I am. I also have started two other fics that I will probably start posting once I finish this story including the royalty AU that was requested.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait on the update. Enjoy!
> 
> Thanks to my beta bwhams.

Barry left Jitters and was headed to a crime scene. He was joined by his colleague and best friend Cisco Ramon. The lead detective on the case escorted them to the area that they would need to collect samples from. Barry pulled out the necessary equipment and got to work.

"So how's the wedding planning going?" Cisco asked.

"It's...going.."

"What does that mean?"

"Remember the woman that ran into me at the subway station I told you about?"

"You mean the one that had you questioning your love for Becky?" Barry never said that he was having second thoughts to him, but Cisco could tell just by the way Barry's eyes lit up when recalling his encounter with the beautiful stranger. He had never seen him look like that when talking about his soon to be wife.

"Cisco, what are you talking about?"

"Barry, we have been friends since high school, trust me, you have cold feet. It's normal."

"Yeah, cold feet..."

"So what about the woman?"

"Turns out, she's the wedding planner." Barry looked up at Cisco, who had a bewildered look on his face, and chuckled.

"And you are still going to let her plan the wedding?"

"She is one of the best in town. Plus she is making Becky happy which is good for me."

Cisco just shook his head, "I hope you know what you're doing."

"Look, Iris is professional. We should have nothing to worry about."

"Iris? So you are on a first name basis?"

"Cisco, it's not like that. Look, you're right. Whatever feelings she may have stirred up in me is just cold feet."

Cisco just gave him a skeptical look and continued on with their collecting.

Thursday had arrived and Barry was actually nervous to spend one on one time with Iris. The nervousness wasn't due to the fact that he was afraid they would have a good time together, it was because he was afraid they wouldn't. He knew it was crazy to be thinking that way, he was getting married to the woman that he loved. And he did love her, but lately he had to keep reminding himself of that fact. Maybe Iris was having a greater effect on him after all.

He was preparing to leave work to meet her when he got a skype call from Becky. He took a deep breath and answered the call on his computer. He should have been happy to see her, but he just wanted to get the conversation over with so that he could get to his appointment.

"Hey Beck."

"Hello Barr, please sound a little bit more excited to talk to me. You don't miss me?" she asked him.

"Yeah, yeah I miss you. It's just been a long week. The CCPD has a backlog of cases that need attention, I've just been really busy."

Becky couldn't hide the disdain on her face. She thought that working as a CSI was beneath Barry. She was always trying to get him to do something that would get him a lot of notoriety. She wanted him to be almost important as she was. "Well you could have been working to create the cure for cancer instead of trying to solve robberies."

They had been down this road before and Barry really didn't want to have this conversation again. "Becky, you know why I am doing this."

"I do, but you know how I feel about it. Anyways, how is the wedding planning going?"

"I am supposed to meet with Iris soon, to go over menu options."

"That's right, I completely forgot. I know you will pick some good food that I like. No chocolate!"

He rolled his eyes internally, "I know you don't like chocolate, I didn't forget."

"Okay, well I have to go to a work dinner. I'll try to talk to you soon."

"Alright Beck, bye."

"Bye."

It didn't escape Barry that they didn't say I love you, but he didn't have time to dwell on that, he had an appointment to get to. He gathered his wallet and phone and headed out the door.

He arrived at the location. It was a small cafe on the outskirts of town. He walked in and was greeted by Iris. She had on a simple flowery sundress. It was understated, but he thought she looked amazing. He had to stop himself from saying so when he returned her hello.

"This place seems nice," he told her, looking around the cafe.

"It is. It's actually owned by one of my good friends. She is one of the best. Wait until we get to the desserts." Iris wiggled her eyebrows up and down.

Barry laughed, he was starting to get the impression that Iris loved her sweets. She led him over to a table that was set up for them. It was fairly small, causing them to have to sit closely. So close that his knee brushed up against her leg several times. He wished he was wearing shorts so that he could have felt her skin against his.

After a few minutes, the owner of the cafe came out of the back and made her way to the table. Iris stood up and pulled her into a hug. "Cynthia, this is Barry Allen. The groom. His bride is on a business trip, so it will just be us today."

Cynthia gave Iris a strange look and then put a smile on her face as she reached out to shake Barry's hand. "It's nice to meet you. I have several dishes I have prepared for tasting, as well as some cake and other dessert options for you."

"I can't wait to try them," he said.

"Good. I will be right out with some hors d'oeuvre options," Cynthia patted Barry on the arm and made her way into the back.

Iris had sat back down next to Barry. "Okay, so you will probably want to choose two or three options for starters. A red meat, a white meat or seafood dish, or a vegetarian dish as the main course for your guests to choose from, and finally a cake choice and maybe one other dessert."

All he could do was look at her. Taking in her perfect skin and pouty lips while she talked. It seemed to make her nervous because she started looking down at the table, pushing her hair behind her ears.  
Finally Cynthia made it back out with several little plates. She sat them on the table and began to explain what they were.

"These are the crab balls. They are like little crab cakes, but smaller and in ball form." Barry snickered at the description. Cynthia continued, "They are served with a roumulade sauce. Here we have fried mac and cheese, pretty self explanatory. These are vegan pesto stuffed mushroom caps and lastly we have bacon wrapped dates, definitely not vegan. Enjoy!."

Cynthia left Barry and Iris to sample what she had brought out. Barry went straight for the mac and cheese. He popped one in his mouth and closed his eyes in ecstasy. When he started moaning, Iris couldn't help but laugh.

"That good huh?"

"So good," Barry opened his eyes and wiped his mouth with a napkin, "My mom used to make me mac and cheese all the time when I was a kid, it's kind of my favorite."

"Then I guess we will have to put these on the menu. I'm sure your mom will love them."

Barry became quiet and got a sad look in his eyes. Iris thought she may have messed up when he finally said, "My mom died when I was a teenager."

"Oh, Barry I'm sorry...I didn't..."

"It's okay, she would have loved them though," he smiled up at her and she smiled right back. He continued, "Looks like I have to take some home with me tonight." He realized he said tonight, like he was going to be out with Iris until nighttime. She must not have noticed, because she was picking up the mushroom caps.

"This is a new item, I have never seen her prepare these before." Barry watched her as she took a small bite, being careful not to spill any food. Something about the way her lips surrounded the mushroom was turning him on. He was starting to think that maybe this was a bad idea, doing this planning without Becky around.

After tasting all of the starters, Cynthia came out, removed the empty dishes and sat down a few options for the main course. There was a lamb dish, a filet dish, two different chicken dishes, a salmon dish and a two vegan choices. This time, there was only one plate of each, so the two of them would have to share. Cynthia also brought out several small samples of wine that would go perfectly with each of the dishes.

Barry and Iris spent the next half hour eating and drinking. Iris thought that maybe it was just a tad unprofessional, but the food was amazing and Barry was actually pretty good company.

"Man I wish I had some of these skills in the kitchen, I should just hire Cynthia to be my full time chef."

"Trust me, I have been trying since college. We were roommates. Back then, she would cook these amazing, creative dishes and sell them out of our apartment. There would literally be a line down the hall of hungry students clamoring for a taste of what Cynthia had to offer. I must have gained the freshman 15 and then some."

"I'm sure you still looked amazing," he told her.

"Yeah…thanks," she all of a sudden couldn't look him in the eyes anymore. She was hoping that the desserts were coming soon so that they could end this...whatever this was. It was getting harder and harder for her to not want to grab his face and kiss him. She had to keep telling herself that this wasn't some kind of date, he was her client and he was getting married.

Cynthia came over to the table to clear the dishes, noticing the sexual tension between the two of them. She came back quickly with the dessert options. "Now I can do the cake in however many tiers you would like and whatever design, just talk that stuff over with the bride and get back to me. In the meantime, here are some cake flavor options. I also have a cheesecake, brownies and some chocolate mouse."

Iris went straight for the brownies. There was nothing timid about the way she attacked them. When she finished, she had chocolate smeared on her lips. All Barry could think about was licking it off. He was disappointed when she finally wiped her mouth with a napkin.

"Sorry, that wasn't very lady like, it's just, like mac and cheese is your favorite, Brownies are mine."

"It's okay, chocolate is a good look on you. I mean..." Before he could explain or Iris could respond, Cynthia came back over to the table. Iris excused herself to the restroom.

"Well, how did you enjoy everything?" she asked Barry.

"This was some of the best food I have ever eaten," Barry told her truthfully.

"I'm so glad you liked it."

"I really did. I was wondering though if maybe I could get some of those mac and cheese balls to take home with me and some of those brownies for Iris?"

Cynthia thought it was odd he was asking for a take home dish for Iris, but obliged anyway. "So you don't have to give me an answer today on anything, but I will need to know something in the next two weeks. Just give Iris your choices and she will give them to me."

"Yeah, no problem and thank you again."

"You're welcome. And thank Iris, I don't usually do weddings." Cynthia winked at him and headed towards the back to package up some of the food he requested. When she came back out, Barry had a disappointed look on his face.

"Hey, I just got a call from work and I need to go into the station, could you let Iris know that I had to leave and I'm sorry. I will reach out to her soon about the menu. Thank you so much again Cynthia."

"Anytime Barry," she waved to him as he rushed out of the cafe, leaving behind his mac and cheese.

Iris was still in the restroom. She didn't need to go, she was just trying to get her shit together. Barry had made a comment about the way she looked and it took her off guard. It was bad enough she was sitting there pining for a taken man, but it was getting to be too much when she started thinking about pushing him up against the wall and kissing him until her lips hurt. She finally regained her composure and made her way back to an empty dining room.

Cynthia came out from the kitchen, "He had to go to work," she explained.

"Oh," was all Iris could muster.

"So what was all that about?" Cynthia asked her.

"What was all what about?"

"You and Barry."

"What? He is my client."

"Iris, come on, it's me your talking to, you know I see things."

Iris sat down at the table. "Am I that bad at hiding it?"

Cynthia sat down next to her, "You both are."

"What do you mean?"

"I know you said that man was about to get married, but it doesn't look like it to me. You two looked like you were on a date out here today. It was actually refreshing to see you so happy. But Iris, please be careful, I don't want you to get hurt."

"Thanks for the concern, but he is about to get married. This little crush will go away. And I don't think he has any kind of feelings for me, he is just really nice."

"Right, well, I will be here for you when you get your heart broken."

"Cynthia-"

"Iris, remember, I see things. By the way, he asked me to box him up some food, you too." Iris looked at her confused. She continued, "He asked for some mac and cheese and some brownies for you. He ran out of her so quick, he forgot them."

"Oh, well, I can just run them by there, he is working at CCPD right now."

"Iris..."

"What? I needed to see my dad anyways, I'll just drop this off to Barry and go about my business."

"Right. Like I said, please be careful." Cynthia gave her friend a hug and watched her leave. She was worried, she loved Iris and didn't want to see Barry break her heart. Unfortunately, that was exactly what it looked like was going to happen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always feel free to leave any comments or suggestions on my tumblr @katieb161


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to my beta bwhams...Thanks for reading...Enjoy xx

Iris made her way inside CCPD, take out boxes in hand. She stopped by the front desk. "Hey Valerie, how are you? How is the new fur baby?"

"Just adorable as can be, he is learning how to roll over and it is the cutest thing!"

"I bet it is. Hey I am looking for Barry Allen, is he in?"

"Yeah, he is in the lab upstairs."

"Thanks Valerie." Iris went upstairs towards the lab. The door was open and she could see Barry inside, hunched over a microscope. She didn't want to startle him, so she lightly knocked on the open door, trying to get his attention. When he didn't move, she slowly and quietly walked into the lab and over to the table he was sitting at.

"Barry," she called out to him. No response. She walked closer and lightly tapped him on the shoulder. He spun around quickly causing him to drop the slide he was holding. It fell to the ground and shattered.

"Shit," he looked agitated until he looked up to see who caused him to drop it. He was surprised and happy to see it was Iris. "Iris! What are you doing here?"

"Um, you had forgotten your leftovers at the cafe, I was just bringing them by. I'm so sorry to have disturbed you." Iris sat both of the boxes on the table and turned to leave. She felt him grab her hand.

"Wait," he realized that he was holding her hand and let it go. "I mean, you aren't disturbing me. Sometimes I just get really zoned out when I'm...sciencing."

"Sciencing?" she repeated, trying not to laugh.

Barry did laugh, "Yeah, something like that. Thanks for bringing this by, I would have been so mad at myself when I realized later that I forgot these. The brownies though, those are for you."

Iris started to feel those butterflies again. "Thanks, that was very thoughtful."

"So was you bringing this to me," he held up the box.

Barry started to clean up the slide that he broke. Iris was taking in the room. "I have been to this station too many times to count and yet I have never seen the lab. It's pretty cool."

"Yeah it is cool. They just got this new arc spark spectrometer. I mean it will allow me to analyze metallic samples so much quicker. It analyzes them through an application of an electric arc and emits light that...and I am going full nerd here. I'll just shut up."

Iris snickered. She thought nerdy Barry was cute. "It's okay, you're just passionate. What made you get into this kind of work anyways?"

"I always liked science. I had gotten an internship at STAR labs and when I graduated, they offered me a position as a chemist."

"So how did you end up at CCPD?"

Barry sighed and got a sad look on his face, the same look from the cafe, "Well, when I was 15, my mother was murdered during a home invasion. They found the people who did it, but because of poor evidence collection, they got off on a technicality. When CCPD contracted STAR labs to be their CSI department, I jumped at the chance to be involved. I never wanted anyone to go through what me and my family went through."

"Oh Barry I'm so sorry," Iris walked closer to him. She didn't know what came over her, but she grabbed him and pulled him into a tight hug. She was rubbing her hands down his back, trying to be comforting. Barry was enthralled by her. He absentmindedly pulled her closer wrapping his arms tight around his waist and nose into the crook of her neck. He breathed in her scent and was intoxicated by it.

They were interrupted when Cisco walked into the lab and cleared his throat. They quickly pulled away from each other, looking guilty. Cisco walked closer to the two of them and eyed them both suspiciously. He finally held out his hand, "I'm Cisco Ramon, and you are?"

Iris took his hand. "Iris West. Pleasure to meet you Cisco."

When he realized who he was greeting, a small smirk crept up on his face. "And what do we owe the pleasure of this visit?"

"Oh, um, Barry had left this at the cafe and I was just bringing it by. I needed to talk to my dad anyway."

"Your dad?"

"Joe West, he is a detective here." That bit of information intrigued Cisco. "Well, I should get going, Barry, just let me know what you decide about the menu. I also will send some linen samples to you and Becky via email so you guys can decide on that as well. It was nice to meet you Cisco." Iris started towards the door.

"Iris wait, you forgot..." Barry held out the box with the brownies. She walked over to grab the box from him. Their hands lightly grazed each other’s as she took the leftovers, causing them to look into each other’s eyes for a moment.

"Thanks again. See ya around," she said and was quickly out of the door.

After a few quiet moments Cisco finally said, "So that is Iris? Man she is gorgeous."

"I know," Barry said as he plopped back down on the stool and put his head in his hands.

"I can see why you are getting cold feet." Cisco went over to the take out box and opened it up. He grabbed one of the mac and cheese balls and threw one in his mouth. "Oh my god, these are amazing. I would marry the girl who could make food like this regularly."

Barry took his head out of his hands and looked over at Cisco. He tore the box from his hands, looking upset that he was eating his food. "I'll find out if she is single."

Cisco looked up at the ceiling, "There is a god!"

Iris headed downstairs. She didn't really need to see her dad, and she wanted to get out of the station after her awkward encounter with Cisco. She was almost to the exit when she heard someone call out to her. She turned around to see Eddie standing there.

"Hey Iris. Wow, you look great today."

She looked down at her dress. It made her wonder if Barry thought the same thing. She started to wish she had worn something a bit more modest. "Thanks Eddie."

"So what are you doing here anyways."

"Oh, um, just dropping off something for a client."

"You have a client who works here? Who is it?"

"Barry Allen," she didn't mean to say his name with that tone or that smile. She had hoped that Eddie didn't pick up on it.

"Oh, that new CSI guy, I've seen him around. So listen, have you thought about my offer to take you out?"

"I'm sorry Eddie, I have just been really busy, as a matter of fact, I have to get going now. I'll see you later." She rushed out of the building hoping to get as far away as possible.

Eddie walked back to his desk where Joe was seated at his desk across from him. "I don't get it, " he said to Joe, "I thought that Iris was into me."

Joe looked up from his paperwork, "I think she still is, she just gets scared sometimes. You know, I bet if you really asked her to marry you, like with a ring and all, she would say yes."  
Eddie looked at Joe unconvinced, "Really Joe? She won't even let me take her on a date."

"She's just wrapped up in work right now, but I've seen the way she looks at you. She loves you. I think you just need to show her how serious you really are. You love her right?"

"I do Joe."

"Then ask her." Unfortunately for Eddie, Joe had no clue what he was talking about.

That Friday night after work, Iris met up with the girls at the pool hall. After a long week, she was ready to let her hair down. She was at a table in the back with Felicity, Cynthia and Amaya. Felicity was setting up the table for the first game. "I'm gonna go get some drinks from the bar," Iris announced.

"I'll come with," Cynthia decided.

They both headed towards the bar. The pool hall was packed. More so than it normally was. They made their way through the crowd and to the bar. Iris ordered a couple of pitchers of beers and was waiting for the bartender to come back when she felt an arm brush up against hers. She couldn't believe who was standing at the bar next to her.

"Barry?"

"Iris, hey. It is so weird that I keep running into you."

"You're not stalking me are you?" Iris joked. He must not have known it was a joke because he face turned beet red and he started rubbing the back of his neck and stuttering over his words.

"Barry!" Iris placed her hand on his arm, "It's okay, I was just joking."

"Joking, right," he laughed in an uncomfortable kind of way.

"I didn't know you liked pool," she tried to change the conversation.

"Oh, yeah, me and my friends try to get together and play at least once a month."

"Us too. Well, if you want some pointers, we are at the table in the back," Iris turned around and pointed to where they were playing."

"And if you want some pointers, we are at the table right next to yours," Barry pointed to the table where Cisco and Oliver were."

"What a coincidence. Well, you know where to find me." Iris winked, grabbed the two pitchers of beer, handing one to Cynthia and walked away.

'That woman may just be the death of me' Barry thought to himself. He grabbed the pitchers that he ordered and made his way towards his friends. When he got to the table, he was greeted with a suspicious look from Cisco.

"Please tell me you didn't know she was going to be here."

"I didn't know she was going to be here."

"You didn't know who was going to be here?" Oliver asked.

"Iris West, the wedding planner," Cisco answered.

"Holy shit, no way, where is she?" Oliver started looking around.

"At the table next to us," Barry nonchalantly pointed to the table.

Oliver not being subtle at all, turned and looked over at the girls and waved. "Which one is she?"

"The gorgeous one with the beautiful smile and eyes," Barry answered.

Oliver looked back over at him and then at Cisco, "So does that mean I can talk to the blond one?"

Barry just shook his head. They played a few rounds with each other. The entire time Barry kept stealing glances at Iris. He would look over to see her bending over, her ass looking amazing in the skinny jeans she was wearing. He liked how when she bent over, her top would come up just enough where he could see her lower back and...was that a tattoo?

He knew he was wrong, that his thoughts about Iris were wrong. He should have been thinking about his bride, not his wedding planner. Maybe it was a bad idea to continue planning this wedding without her being there. He was spending too much time with Iris. It was weird that they lived in the same city this whole time and never once ran into each other. Now it seemed like he was seeing her every other day. Maybe it was fate he started to think.

He was interrupted from his thoughts when Oliver finally said, "I'm going over there, I gotta talk to that woman. You two do what you want."

There was no way that Barry was letting Oliver go over there alone, so he nodded at Cisco and the three of them walked over to the girls table.

"Barry! Came to get those pool tips?" Iris asked him. He could tell that she was a little bit tipsy.

"Maybe I came to show you some tips," he responded. She rolled her eyes at him. He introduced his friends to hers, "These are my best friends Cisco Ramon and Oliver Queen."

Oliver immediately grabbed Felicity's hand and kissed it. She looked over at Iris and grinned. "I'm Felicity Smoak."

"Felicity, it's so nice to meet you. Can I buy you a drink?"

"Sure." She hopped off the stool she was sitting on and they made their way to the bar.

"Cisco," Barry started, "This is Cynthia, she is the chef who is catering the wedding."

"You're the woman that made that mac and cheese. Let me just say I am in love." The two of them started talking among themselves.

"I think I am going to talk to that sexy woman over there, she looks lonely," Amaya said to Barry and Iris and headed towards the woman.

"Well, looks like it's just us," Iris said to him.

"Yeah, it does." After a brief silence Barry asked, "Do you wanna play?"

"Sure, I feel like beating someone right now."

Iris got the table set up. Just then Barry got a phone call. It was Becky. "Sorry I have to take this," he told her, "I'll be right back." Barry walked towards the bathrooms where it was a little bit more quiet and answered the call.

"Hey Beck."

"Hey Honey. I had a break between meetings and wanted to call while I could. I know with our time difference, it's hard to find the time to call. Where are you?"

"Oh, at the pool hall with the guys."

"Cisco and Oliver? I don't know why you hang out with them, they are so immature."

"Becky, they are my best friends."

"Yeah, but I have introduced you to all my friends husbands and it's like you never want to hang out with any of them."

That was because Barry thought that Becky's friends were all too pretentious. When they first met, Becky was so down to earth, but ever since her father had gotten into politics, nothing Barry did or liked was good enough. Trying to change the subject Barry started talking about the wedding plans, "I sent you an email with the food options, just look over it and tell me what you think."

"I already did. I sent back my choices. I don't know why you had brownies on there, I know I told you no chocolate."

"Well, Iris had suggested another dessert to serve besides the cake."

"Iris is not the bride and I said no chocolate!" Becky snapped. "By the way. I scheduled you to attend a couple dance lessons while I'm here. You need to be ready for our first dance at the reception. I expect you to go because I will be testing you when I get home in two weeks."

"Yes Becky."

"Don't sound so upset. Look I gotta go. I love you."

"I-I love you too." Barry hung up the phone. Leave it to Becky to make his fun night turn sour. He sighed and headed back towards the pool table, eager to play a game with Iris. When he got back, she was nowhere to be found.

"Where is Iris?" he asked Cynthia and Cisco.

"She said something about this is crazy and left, I dunno man." Cisco shrugged and turned his attention back to Cynthia.

Barry rushed out front to see if maybe he could still catch her, but she was nowhere in sight. Maybe it was for the best Barry thought. He decided to head home too and went back inside to say goodbye to everyone. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I know this isn't exactly like the movie, but I hope you guys still like it.
> 
> There is a small chance I might post another update before Monday, if not then Thursday would be the earliest. As always you can leave any comments or suggestions on my tumblr @katieb161


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So it wasn't planned...but here is a surprise update.
> 
> Thanks to my beta bwhams!
> 
> Enjoy xx

Iris woke up to a loud knock on her door the next morning. She walked downstairs and to the door begrudgingly, upset that someone had disturbed her sleep. Opening the door she saw Felicity standing before her. Iris turned around letting the door go. Felicity had to put out her arm to keep the door from closing on her and walked into the house.

"You left early last night," Felicity said as she followed Iris into the living room.

"Yeah, I was tired."

"It's crazy that Barry was there huh?" she pressed.

"Yeah, unexpected. You seemed to hit it off with his friend, what was his name? Oliver."

Felicity smiled thinking about him, "Yeah, he's great. And he has abs. He took me to this gym after we left and I watched him use the salmon ladder for hours."

Iris couldn't help but chuckle at that. "Barry seemed disappointed that you left."

"I just thought maybe it wasn't a good idea to be hanging out with him. Lis, I really like him. I don't know if I can keep doing this. Not to mention, he keeps popping up in my everyday life."

"Iris, I know it's hard, but you have already put so much into planning this event. You said it yourself, your 'Iris Freaking West', you can do this. You only have less than two months to go. Becky will be back soon and you can just do all the planning with her."

"I dunno Lis..."

"Iris! You got this. Now come on and get dressed, I want to go to brunch."  
  
Barry woke up and remembered what happened the night before. He knew he shouldn't be, but he couldn't stop thinking about Iris. She was beautiful and sweet and so real. Even their friends got along. He laid in bed a bit longer before he decided to finally get up. He needed to talk to someone about how he was feeling.

He showed up at his father's house. When Henry opened the door, he was happy to see his only son. "Barry, What are you doing here? Not that I am not happy you are, I just wasn't expecting you."

"Hey dad, I just needed to talk. Do you have a minute?"

"Always for you slugger. Come on in."

They walked into the living room and sat down. "What's on your mind son?"

"How did you know you were ready to get married to mom?" Barry asked him.

"Oh," Henry paused for a moment, "Well, for me it was when she would leave and it felt like she was taking a part of me with her. I mean, I knew I would see her again, but I was just tired of her always going. I knew that I wanted to spend all of my time with her."

Barry nodded and smiled, thinking about his mother. Henry finally asked, "Are you having second thoughts?"

"I don't know. I mean, I love Becky, and it seems like the next step, but.."

"But?"

"She's changed. I've changed. Neither of us are the same people we were when we first started dating. I don't want to get married because it's the next step. I want to get married because I can't stand to be away from her, like you and mom."

"And are you not feeling that way about Rebecca?"

"Put it like this, she has been gone for a few weeks now, and I have been relieved to have a break."

"Son, I can't tell you what to do, you are an adult. I can only tell you to follow your heart, it won't ever steer you wrong."

"Yeah..."

"But Barry, if you don't want to marry this girl, then you need to tell her sooner rather than later."

"Thanks dad, I have a lot to think about."

"Anytime slugger." Barry stood up and hugged his father before leaving.

Barry arrived to his first scheduled dance lesson. He really wasn't interested in learning to dance, but he also didn't want to embarrass himself at his reception. He walked into the dance studio to see several couples. He was the only one there by himself and was starting to feel foolish. He took a place in the back of the group and waited for the instructor to come out.

He couldn't believe his eyes when none other than Iris walked out of the back room. She was in dance attire and had her hair up in a messy bun. She had never looked more beautiful to him. She was just as surprised when she saw him in the back of the class.

"Okay class, why don't you do some stretching before we get started." Iris announced. As the couples began stretching together, she made her way over to him. "Barry, what are you doing here?"

"Becky signed me up for a dance class while she is gone. I had no idea you were a dancer, or the instructor for that matter."

"Yeah, I danced in high school and I guess I never lost the talent," Iris downplayed. She actually had been accepted to Julliard, but decided not to go when her mother died. She just didn't want to leave her dad and brother.

Barry was intrigued. Every time he saw her, he learned something fascinating about her. "Well, I'm not sure how this is going to work, I don't even have a partner."

"I'll dance with you." Barry and Iris both looked up to see who was eavesdropping. She repeated it, "I'll dance with you honey."

"Mrs. Stein, that is very generous of you," Iris thanked her.

"You know to call me Clarissa, and it's nothing. Who wouldn't want to dance with a handsome young man. Besides, Iris, you can dance with Marty."

Iris looked over at Martin Stein who held his arms open, welcoming Iris over. She smiled at Barry and Clarissa. "Okay then, let's get started."

Iris brought Martin up to the front of the class and they began to demonstrate the basic technique of the waltz. The Stein's were very well versed in the art of dance, but they still came to class every week. After Iris showed the class the steps, she encouraged them to practice together.

Barry couldn't help looking at Iris, as she danced with the old man. He admired her as she laughed and smiled. She was also very graceful in her movements. Barry not so much. After stepping on Clarissa's toes for the third time, she finally said something.

"Young man, maybe if you paid more attention to your partner and not the instructor, you could learn these moves."

Barry looked down at her, "Sorry ma'am, I'm getting a little distracted." He looked over towards Iris again.

"She is beautiful isn't she?"

"Huh?"

"Iris. She's beautiful. We have been coming here for months now. She always has that smile on her face. Like a ray of sunshine, isn't it."

"Yeah, it is," Barry smirked.

"Well, you need to pay attention to the steps, you want to impress her right, that's why you are here?"

"Actually..." Barry didn't get a chance to finish that statement because Martin decided to cut in.

"I'd like to dance with my wife now," he looked over at Barry, "You dance with Iris." Martin pushed Barry towards Iris who took his hand and got him into the correct stance.

They began to move to the music while Iris counted out the steps. After a few minutes of this, Barry seemed to at least get the basic steps down.

"See, you're getting this, I don't know what you were worried about," Iris told him.

"I was worried about looking foolish."

"You'll be fine. Becky will be impressed."

Barry hated that she brought up Becky, it made him feel bad for having the thoughts he was having about Iris. "Yeah..." was all he could muster.

They became silent again. Both concentrating on to sounds of their breathing. Iris looked up at Barry who was already staring into her eyes. He naturally pulled her closer to him as they continued to sway to the music. "I want to try something crazy," he said to her. She gave him a funny look and before she could question him, he pulled her into a spin. When she was facing him again, their bodies were pressed even closer together.

She looked up at him again, "Barry," she whispered. In that moment, she saw that he was lowering his head down closer to hers, like he wanted to kiss her. She wanted to kiss him too. Their lips were on the verge of brushing against each other when she finally realized what was happening.

She pulled away before either one of them could make a mistake. With sad eyes, she turned away from Barry and started to walk back to the front of the studio. "Okay class, that's our time. I will see you all next week. Keep practicing." She ran into the back room which she first appeared from.

Barry stood there with his mouth half open, not quiet sure exactly what happened. He almost kissed Iris. He wanted to kiss Iris. And at this point he felt like he needed to kiss Iris. He waited outside of the front of the studio, waiting for her to come out so they could talk about what just almost happened. After a half hour, she still hadn't come out.

He was about to go back in when the Stein's walked past him. They were carrying coffees, obviously just coming from Jitters a few doors down. "If your waiting on Iris, she is long gone honey," Clarissa said to him.

"Excuse me?"

"She always goes out of the back after class, it's a quicker route to the subway station."

"Oh," Barry was disappointed, "Okay, thanks."

"Will we see you next week?" she asked him.

Barry rubbed the back of his neck, "Maybe." He waved to the couple and made his way towards his car.

Iris was on the subway heading home. All she could think about was the near kiss that she almost had with Barry. She knew she was in too deep. There was no way she could continue with this wedding. She was going to tell Linda tomorrow that she would have to take over. She hadn't decided what reason she was going to give her. She obviously couldn't say that she was falling in love with the groom. That was like the number one cardinal sin of being a wedding planner. She cursed herself for forgetting her umbrella that day, then she would have never bumped into Barry Allen.

She arrived home to see Eddie waiting for her on her front porch. "Iris," he called out for her as he stood up.

"Eddie, what are you-"

"Iris, please listen to me. I know that you said that you just wanted to be friends, and the timing wasn't right with us, but I still love you. And I hope a part of you loves me, and I just want to take you out on one date. If you don't have the time of your life, I will stop asking you. So please, will you go out with me?"

Iris thought for a moment. Maybe she could give Eddie another shot. If nothing else, he could help her get her mind off of Barry. "Okay, okay, I will go out with you. Saturday night."

"Really?" Eddie was actually surprised by her answer. She nodded again in confirmation. "Wow, this is great, you won't regret it, I promise you."

The next day, Iris walked into Linda's office prepared to tell her that she could no longer plan Barry's wedding. She was shocked to see Becky sitting at Linda's desk. She had returned from her trip early.

"Iris, I'm glad you're here," Linda told her as she motioned for her to come in the the office and sit down.

"Becky, you're back, how was your trip?" Iris asked her.

"You know how work events can be. I was just telling Linda how impressed I am with what you have done so far. This is going to be the best wedding that Central City has ever seen."

"I'm glad that you are happy with everything, however, I am going to have to pass the buck to Linda to get you guys to the finish line."

"What are you talking about?" Linda asked her.

"I just...I just feel like Linda will be better suited to handle the rest of the planning."

"Iris, you can't. What did Barry say to you? He is always saying or doing something stupid to make someone uncomfortable."

Iris couldn't believe that Becky instantly thought that Barry had done something wrong. She would never use Barry and stupid in the same sentence. She finally responded, "No, it's not that, I just have some...personal stuff going on."

"Look, I can appreciate having personal stuff, but this is the biggest day of my life. I need you. I will double your fee and make sure Barry stays away from the planning, just please don't leave me."

Iris felt bad, she didn't want to ruin Becky's day, even if staying on as the planner may well ruin her life. "Okay, okay, I will see it through to the end."

"Thanks Iris." Becky stood up, "I'll be in touch, I have a dress fitting to get to." She put on her sunglasses and headed out of the door.

"What was that all about?" Linda asked once Becky was gone.

"Nothing...it was nothing. I'll be in my office." Iris walked into her office and shut the door. She sat down at her desk and laid her head down on it. She tried not to, but tears started streaming down her face. She wasn't sure how she was going to get through the next month.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I may post another update tomorrow...as always you can leave any comments or story suggestions on my tumblr @katieb161


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again to my beta bwhams.
> 
> Enjoy xx

Barry was in his lab when he got a call from Becky. She was upset because Iris wanted to quit and she blamed him. She made him promise to stay away from any wedding planning, which he agreed to. He promised he wouldn't be involved in the planning, but he never agreed to stop seeing Iris. After their near kiss at the dance class, he was aching to talk to her.

He knew he should just let it go, but something inside of him wouldn't allow him to. He decided that after he finished at work, he was going to find her. He went back to analyzing crime scene samples when Eddie entered his lab.

"Hey, you're Barry right?" Eddie asked him.

"Yeah, that's me."

"I'm working on the Cold Stone case and I was wondering if you had the toxicology report finished."

"Oh, I had to take it to STAR labs for more analysis, I should have the results back in a few days."

"Great. Iris told me you were getting married, congratulations by the way."

Barry looked at Eddie in confusion. "How do you know Iris?"

"We're dating."

"Dating?" Barry didn't mean to make it sound like a question. He was actually surprised because she never mentioned dating someone. But, of course, why would she. She had no obligation to discuss her dating life with him.

"Yeah, well I gotta go. Let me know when you get the results."

"S-Sure thing."

Eddie walked out of the lab and Barry sat back in his chair. He wasn't sure what he was feeling after hearing that Iris was dating Eddie, but he didn't like it. He sent Iris a text asking if she would meet him at Jitters. After 20 minutes she responded that she would meet him there. He wasted no time making his way to the coffee shop.

He arrived before she did. He got a coffee and a cronut for her and waited at a table in the back. When she walked he, he couldn't help the way his stomach fluttered at the sight of her. He stood up as she approached the table, like he was going to hug her. Iris kept her distance though, immediately reaching for the chair to sit down. Disappointed, Barry sat back down in his seat as well.

"I got you a coffee," he moved the drink and pastry closer to her.

"Why am I here Barry?"

It was now or never. Whether or not he went through with this wedding, he had a need to resolve things with Iris. This could very well be the last time he would get to talk to her one on one.

"I-I just...Becky told me that you wanted to quit, and she thinks it was my fault, and I dunno, maybe it is." He looked up at her, wanting to gaze in to her eyes. She wouldn't allow him, she couldn't make eye contact with him. He continued, "Look, I'm sorry. I am sorry that I made you uncomfortable, I didn't mean...I guess...I mean I felt like there may have been something there."

Iris looked down at the table. She knew exactly what he was referring to. As much as she tried to push it out of her mind, she kept going back to how she felt with her body pressed closely against his, the feel of his breath on her face, the look that he had in his eyes.

"Barry, you are getting married. Whether or not something was there, it doesn't matter."

He got a hopeful look on his face, "So you think there was? Something there?"

Iris wouldn't answer that question, "You know Cynthia warned me to be careful and I just didn't listen. Regardless of feelings, I have crossed a line that I shouldn't have crossed. I think it would be best if we didn't see each other again. Becky assured me that she could handle the planning on her own, so there will be no need for us to be around each other."

"Iris-"

"No Barry, it has to be this way. I am not going to be that girl. I'm not that girl." She got up from the table and gave one last longing look at him and walked out of Jitters. Barry sat there for a while trying to reconcile his feelings.

Iris put on a brave face later that week when she walked into the flower shop. She was meeting Becky so they could decide on and order all the floral arrangements for the wedding. She was relieved when she saw Becky walk into the shop alone.

"Hello Becky. Thanks for meeting me here."

"It's no problem, I'm just glad you agreed to stay on as our planner."

"Like I said, I'll get you to the finish line."

"Good. I'm so nervous about the big day honestly. I mean, I always knew I would get married. Although, I thought it would be to a doctor or a lawyer or something, but Barry, he's okay."

Iris wasn't sure what to think of that comment. Usually the couples she helps are madly in love. Come to think of it, she really hadn't seen Becky and Barry act like they were. Maybe they just didn't do the whole PDA thing. She also hoped that she didn't have anything to do with their lack of affection.

They spent the next few hours picking out flowers. They must have ordered hundreds of arrangements. Becky was being picky and complaining about everything. Iris had just about enough of her for the day. She was completely finished with her when she insulted the owner of the shop. It made her start to wonder what Barry even saw in this woman.

When they left the shop, Iris was surprised at how late it was. She had a date with Eddie that she had to get ready for. She made it home just in time to shower and get ready. When she came downstairs all dolled up, her father started smiling at her.

"Where are you going looking like that?" He asked her, already knowing the answer.

"I have a date tonight...with Eddie."

Joe started beaming. He remembered the talk he had with Eddie and was sure tonight he was going to pop the question. He was excited that his daughter was going to be an engaged woman soon. "I knew it would work out with you two."

Iris rolled her eyes at the sentiment. "It's just a date dad."

"I know."

She noticed that her father was dressed up himself and not wearing his normal Saturday attire. "Where are you headed to?"

"Oh, I have to go to the station. I am working on a big case, I will probably be there all night." Joe kissed his daughter on the cheek, "I'll see you later, enjoy your date baby girl."

"Bye dad."

As Joe opened the door to leave, he saw Eddie standing there about to knock. He was holding a bouquet of irises. "Hey Joe."

"Hey Eddie, come on in, Iris is inside ready for your date. Good luck tonight." Joe patted him on the back and made his way towards his car.

Eddie walked into the house and closed the door behind him. Iris was standing in the living room and he walked over to her and handed her the flowers. "Great irises, how original," she thought to herself.

"Iris, you look great."

"Thanks, let me just put these in some water and we can go." She took care of the flowers and they headed out the door.

Eddie took her to a fancy restaurant downtown. He was a perfect gentleman, holding doors, pulling out her chair, all the things that men do on dates. The evening was going well. The salmon that Iris ordered was cooked to perfection, the wine was aged just right and the conversation wasn't half bad.

Iris was starting to remember why she did like Eddie in the first place. He was sweet and he really did have a big heart. She was starting to think that this was exactly what she needed to get over Barry. Eddie reached across the table and took her hand.

"I'm really glad that you agreed to go out with me tonight."

"I am too."

"Really? I am so happy that you said that. You know Iris, I meant what I said when I told you I still loved you."

"Eddie I-"

"It's okay, I know how you feel." He took a deep breath. Iris could tell he was nervous about something. "I don't just want to pick up where we left off."

She wondered what he meant by that. She didn't want to pick up there either. They left off kind of serious and Iris wasn't ready for that again, with him at least. Right now she was content with going on a few dates, maybe making out some, but nothing serious. She started to get as nervous as Eddie was when he stood up and pulled something out of his pocket.

"Iris," he got down on one knee and opened the ring box he was holding in his hands, displaying a beautiful diamond solitaire ring, "I don't want to pick up where we left off because I want you to be my wife. Iris West, would you marry me."

She didn't know what would make him think this was what she wanted. She looked around the restaurant and saw all the guests and employees watching them, waiting on her to give him an answer. It was all too much for her. "I'm sorry Eddie," she told him. She got up from the table and rushed out of the restaurant. Eddie stood there for a moment, still on one knee, wondering what just happened.

Barry had spent most of his Saturday working. He had a backlog of evidence he needed to get through. He went to the station after spending some time at STAR labs. He had the toxicology report that Eddie needed. He went to his desk looking for him.

"Hey Joe, is Eddie around? I have that report that he needed."

"Oh hey Barry. No, he went out with Iris tonight."

"Oh..."

"I'm so happy, my baby girl is getting engaged tonight," Joe said with glee in his voice.

Barry was taken back by this new information, "Engaged?"

"Yeah, it's about time too. I am tired of seeing her walking around sad all the time. I am just glad she found love."

"Love, right. Well, I am just going to leave the report on his desk for him." Barry sat down the folder and headed back up to his lab. First he finds out that Iris is dating Eddie, now she was going to marry him. He couldn't believe it. There was no way he would be able to concentrate on his work now so he decided to go home.

When he arrived home, Becky was in the kitchen making dinner. He was actually surprised because she typically didn't cook. When she saw him, she made her way over and planted a kiss on his cheek. "Hey honey, you look tired. Why don't you go take a shower and I will have dinner ready when you get out."

Barry eyed her suspiciously but took her advice and headed to the shower. He put on some comfortable clothes and made his way back out to the dining room where Becky had dinner laid out on the table. He sat down and waited for her to come and sit as well.

Once she was seated at the table, she started to serve her and Barry. "So do you want to tell me what this is all about?"

"What, I'm not allowed to cook for my future husband?"

"Beck, you never cook, unless you want something...so what is it this time?"

She scoffed at the notion. After a few silent moments she finally relented and told him what she wanted. "I've decided to stop my birth control, actually I already did."

Barry sat up a little straighter in his chair, "What do you mean you already did? When did this happen?"

"After I left for my business trip. I decided that I want to get pregnant right away after the wedding. The sooner the better."

Barry was thankful that they had not been intimate like that since she returned. He started to get a little angry once he realized the implications of what she had done. "And you didn't think about talking it over with me first?"

"Well, we're talking it over now."

"You are unbelievable Becky."

"We are about to be married, what's the big deal?"

"The big deal is that you can't just keep making life changing decisions for the both of us!"

"What other life changing decisions have I made Barry?"

"Well let's see, you decided which lab I would do my internship at, you decided where we were going to live after graduation, you decided to get married..."

"Wait, are you saying you don't want to get married."

Barry didn't realize he had said that until Becky questioned him about it. "Beck-"

"No Barry, I need to know what you meant by that, do you not want to marry me?"

He took a deep breath and sighed, "Honestly, I'm not so sure anymore."

"Wow! Barry Allen, you are so selfish to spring this on me a month before we are set to do this."

"I'm the selfish one? If I remember correctly, you were the one who pressured me into proposing."

"You didn't have to if you didn't want to."

"That wasn't the vibe that I got when your father basically told me that I didn't have a choice."

"I thought you loved me?"

"I do love you, the old you. I don't know who this new you is."

"I'm the same person that I have always been, it's you that changed."

"Maybe I have."

"So what, we are just going to flush thousands of dollars down the drain because you are getting cold feet?"

"I was talking with Oliver and Cisco and they think-"

"Oh, so it's your friends that are making you want out? Not surprising."

"Actually they have nothing to do with this decision."

"So, you really don't want to marry me," Becky sat there for a moment not sure what to think, "Is there someone else?"

Barry wasn't prepared for that question. Sure, he had feelings for Iris that grew deeper every time he saw her, but he thought he would have reached this conclusion about Becky whether Iris was in the picture or not. He couldn't look at her anymore.

"I think you need to leave."

He didn't put up a fight, he grabbed his keys and a jacket and headed out the door. He drove around for a while, just thinking. It was clear that the wedding was off, he wasn't sure if that meant the relationship too. He started thinking about how he may be a free man, able to pursue the woman of his dreams but she had already moved on.

He pulled up in front of Cisco's place. He was just going to crash there for the night and figure out everything tomorrow. He knocked on the door and was surprised to see Cynthia was the one to answer it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave any questions or suggestions on my tumblr @katieb161


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to my beta bwhams!
> 
> Enjoy xx

"Cynthia, what are you-" before Barry could finish the question, Cisco ran up to the door.

"Hey buddy, what brings you here...unannounced?"

"Sorry Cisco, I thought it was the pizza," Cynthia apologized before leaving the guys and going back into the living room.

"So you two?" Barry asked.

"It's still early," Cisco smirked, "But for real, why are you here?"

"I told Becky that I didn't want to marry her. I need a place to crash tonight."

"Oh man, come on in." He let Barry into the house and gave him a comforting pat on the back. Barry was surprised when he walked into the living room and not only saw Cynthia but Oliver and Felicity too.

"Wow, you guys too?" Oliver just shrugged his shoulders and took Felicity's hand. "And you guys are having get togethers too."

"Hey, we would have invited you but, we hate Becky," Oliver said honestly. Cisco gave a look of agreement.

"Well, then you will be happy to know that I called off the wedding."

"Wait, you guys broke up?" Felicity asked curiously. She looked over at Cynthia who had the same look.

"I don't know. I mean those words weren't explicitly said."

"Is this because of Iris?" Cynthia came out and asked.

Barry turned red and rubbed the back of his neck. Before he could answer, there was a knock on the door.

"That's gotta be the pizza," Cisco said and he walked towards the front door. He returned shortly, walking back into the room empty handed looking like he had just seen a ghost. "It's definitely not the pizza."

"Who is it?" Cynthia asked.

"It's...Becky," he turned to Barry.

"Becky? How did she know I was here?"

"I dunno man, but I think you need to go talk to her."

Barry made his way to the door and stepped outside to talk with her privately. "How did you know I was here?" he asked her.

"I had a feeling."

"Look, Becky, I'm really sorry."

"I know you are. If I can be honest with you. I have been thinking a lot about this wedding. I think you are right Barry, we have both changed." He looked at her in disbelief. "If you think about it, our relationship has been kind of strained for a while now." He nodded in agreement.

"I do care about you Becky."

"I know you do, and I care about you too, but I don't think either of us feel the same way that we used to. I think I wanted to be married for the sake of being married. It wouldn't be fair to either of us if kept doing this."

"So then, this is it."

"Yeah, this is it. It was fun Barry. I hope you find what or who you are looking for." Becky turned and gave him a final parting hug.

"You too."

 

Iris ran from the restaurant. You would think she was fleeing from the scene of a crime and how fast she was going towards the subway station. She needed to get far, far away from the situation. When she made it home, Eddie was waiting for her.

"Eddie what are-"

"I don't understand, I thought that was what you wanted."

"Eddie, I don't know what gave you that impression."

"But Joe said you still loved me."

"My dad put you up to this?"

Eddie nodded his head, solemnly. Iris pinched the bridge of her nose, "Of course he did." She walked over to him and took his hand, leading him to the top step of the porch and they both sat down. "Look Eddie, I do really like you, you are a really great guy. I just...I just don't have those kind of feelings for you. I'm sorry if I led you on or if my dad gave you false hope. I do however, want to be your friend, if you will have me as one."

He looked up at her. She could tell that he wanted to cry but was holding it in, "Yeah, I'd like that. Boy I misread this one huh?" They both laughed.

Iris turned to him and gave him a hug, " I really am sorry."

"It's okay." They said their goodbyes and Iris went into the house, anxious to speak with her father.

She wasn't going to wait until the next day to confront Joe. She headed down to the station. When she got there, she found him at his desk, going over case files.

"Hey baby girl, aren't you supposed to be on a date right now?"

"I was...until Eddie got down on one knee in a restaurant full of people. Now what on earth would have made him do that?"

Joe West looked guilty. "So you didn't say yes?"

"DAD! You are unbelievable. Why on earth would you tell Eddie to propose to me?"

"He told you that?"

"Yeah, and I had to break his heart again. Do you know how terrible that made me feel."

Joe felt bad seeing his daughter so upset, "I'm sorry, I just wanted you to be happy."

"Dad, I don't need you to arrange a marriage for me to be happy, I am happy."

"No you're not. I can see it in your eyes Iris." She looked down, not giving him the satisfaction of proving that he was right.  
  
Back at Cisco's place, Barry was telling everyone that he and Becky officially broke up. Cisco and Oliver both had huge smiles on their faces. "It's about time. I was really hoping you weren't going to go through with it," Oliver told him.

"You know, I wish you would have told me a lot sooner that you hated Becky."

"Hate is such a strong word, we just really disliked her," Cisco said.

"Yeah you could do so much better," Oliver added.

That made him think about Iris. He smiled thinking about her, then he remembered that she was engaged now. He missed his chance. "Yeah, I think I'm too late for that," he said as he went and sat down on the sofa.  
"What does that mean?" Felicity asked him.

"She's engaged now," he answered dejectedly.

"Who is engaged?" Cisco asked.

"Iris."

Felicity and Cynthia looked at each other and burst out laughing. "What's so funny?" Barry asked them.

"Who is she supposed to be engaged to?" Cynthia inquired.

"Eddie Thawne." The girls laughter intensified.

"You're not serious?" Cynthia asked.

"Well, that's what Joe told me."

"Trust me when I say, there is no way Iris is going to marry Eddie when she is in love with someone else." Felicity assured him. Cynthia shot her a look of 'why did you just tell him that'.

Barry's heart started to race. Was Iris in love with him? "I have to go," he stood up from the sofa, "I have to talk to her."

"Hold on just a minute. You can't just go profess...whatever it is you are going to profess without making it special," Oliver told him.

"So what do you guys think I should do?"

"I have an idea," Felicity offered.

Iris got a text from Felicity while she was heading back home. She wanted her to meet her and Cynthia for some dancing. Iris was going to decline, but thought that maybe it would be good to hang out with her girls and get her mind of the last few weeks. She was still dressed up from her date, so she figured, why not.

She showed up to the club and texted Felicity to find out where they were. She told her they were on the way and would be there soon. Iris went to the bar to order a drink. While she was standing there, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned to tell off the offender for touching her and was shocked to see Barry standing there.

"Barry? What are you doing here?"

"Come dance with me."

"Barry, we talked about this, you know we can't"

"Please? I promise I will leave you alone after this."

Iris couldn't resist the look of pleading in his eyes. It had only been a week, but she missed him. She let him take her hand and lead her to the dance floor. The DJ was playing techno music and the club goers were dancing like maniacs, but Barry pulled Iris close to him and started doing the moves he had learned at dance class.

The two of them slow danced like there was no one else around. Iris pressed her head to his chest and listened to his heartbeat. "It's really fast, " she told him as she looked up into his eyes.

"It does that every time I see you."

Iris was flattered, "You know when you say things like that, it makes it hard for me to stay away from you."

"Then don't"

"Barry, you are about to get married. I can't be the woman that comes into someone else's marriage."

"You won't be."

She looked at him confused, "What does that mean?"

"It means that me and Becky broke up."

Iris stopped dancing. That news should have made her happy, instead she felt regret in the pit of her stomach. She never wanted to be a homewrecker. Tears started to well up in her eyes as she pulled away from Barry, "I'm sorry." She turned from him and made her way towards the club exit. He followed behind her until they were both outside.

"Iris, wait."

"Barry, I can't do this. I can't be with you knowing I'm the reason that you and Becky broke up."

"You're not okay. I mean, after I met you, things became more clear to me, but I promise you, We probably would not have made it anyway."

Iris finally looked at him, tears streaming down her cheeks, "Do you really mean that?"

"I do. Look, I'm not saying that you have to rush into something with me, but I care about you...a lot. I actually think I love you."

Iris was surprised by his admission. Truth be told she loved him too. Before she could respond, she felt raindrops start to fall. How funny that it would start raining now, as she was standing before the man she loved while he professed that he loved her too.

Barry pulled her close to him. He looked down at her and pushed a piece of wet hair behind her ear. They both looked into each other, but it was different this time. They could both see the love they had for one another. "Barry," Iris whispered to him. She stood a little bit taller on her tip toes and moved closer to him. He leaned down more and lightly brushed his lips against hers. Iris made the move and put more force into it, slowly licking his lips open as he invited her tongue into his mouth.

He moaned into the kiss. He had been wanting to do this for a while and was not disappointed. Iris moved her arms and locked them around his neck as he grabbed her waist and pulled her as close as he could, taking in the warmth of her body. They broke apart to get air and Barry gave Iris another chaste kiss.

"That was better than I imagined," he said to her as she pulled him in for another one.

 

  
"If you keep eating the apps, you won't have room for the main course."

"But they are so good."

Iris took the plate from Barry. They had been together officially for 9 months. It was the happiest 9 months of Iris' life. They were taking things slow, and she was okay with that. The night before, Barry had brought up them moving in together. Iris still hadn't given him an answer. For now they were enjoying their friend’s wedding.

Oliver knew when he saw Felicity that he was going to marry her. Nobody expected it to be so soon, but they were all happy for them. Of course, Iris planned the wedding and Cynthia catered it. Cisco and Cynthia were also still going strong. Everyone thought it was so funny that they were all paired up, but it did make for some fun group dates.

They spent the rest of the evening dancing and drinking and having a good time. When it was time for Felicity to throw the bouquet, Cynthia caught it and promptly gave it to Iris. Cisco feigned offense. When the night ended, they all saw Oliver and Felicity off with lots of bubbles as they pulled away from the hotel in the convertible that was decorated with 'Just Married'.

As Iris watched them drive off, she started thinking about how happy they were and how they didn't care about the timing of things, they just did what their hearts told them. She looked up at Barry who was holding her and smiled.

He looked down at her, "What?"

"Let's do it. Let's move in together."

"Really?"

"Really."

Barry turned Iris so he was standing in front of her. "I love you Iris West."

"I love you Barry Allen." He leaned down and pulled her into a kiss, excited about what their future held.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to all who read and left comments and kudos! If there are any prompts that you have you can leave them on my tumblr @katieb161.


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